La Tasca — the Spanish restaurant focused on tapas and family-style dining — has closed its doors permanently.
Another casualty of the coronavirus pandemic, La Tasca announced that it is filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy and closing its Old Town Alexandria and Rockville, Maryland restaurants.
In a note on its website, La Tasca’s owners noted they were grateful for all the good years and thankful to their team and the community for their success.
“We know this is an unbelievably hard time for those in the hospitality industry. This decision was not an easy one, but we did not see a path forward for a restaurant that relies on groups gathering and sharing food,” they wrote.
The Coronavirus Effect on Local Restaurants
The restaurant industry has been particularly hard hit this spring as COVID-19 forced many restaurants to temporarily close or switch entirely to take-out and delivery.
The National Restaurant Association estimated earlier this spring that the industry nationwide could lose $225 billion in sales by July 1 and shed 5 to 7 million employees. Even here in Alexandria, where residents are extremely supportive of the dining scene, the pandemic has been catastrophic.
Joseph Conrad, executive chef of Oak Steakhouse in Alexandria, said in an interview with Alexandria Living Magazine that one big lesson from the pandemic is this: “[Restaurants] are more than a place to get food and drinks. Restaurants are places where experiences are made and emotional connections happen. Restaurants are about community and the powerful connections that can happen when breaking bread with others.”
Unfortunately, restaurants that focus on dishes that are meant to be shared, like La Tasca, may have a particularly difficult time surviving.
Read much more about how the pandemic has affected Alexandria’s restaurants in the upcoming issue of Alexandria Living Magazine. Subscribe here by June 15 for convenient, safe home delivery.
